Sen. Rand Paul Appears on CBN #39;s The 700 Club with Pat Robertson - Nov. 9, 2014
By: SenatorRandPaul
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Sen. Rand Paul Appears on CBN's The 700 Club with Pat Robertson - Nov. 9, 2014 - Video
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, speaks at an election rally for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, at Bowman Field November 3, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. Aaron P. Bernstein, Getty Images
In preparation for his all-but-announced 2016 presidential bid, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, gathered staffers and political advisers from across the country for a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
The meeting, just eight days after midterm elections that saw Republicans seize the Senate majority and strengthen their grip on the House, was described as an opportunity for Paul and his advisers to pivot from the midterms to the next presidential cycle.
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"As I understand it, this meeting is to both literally and symbolically change focus after the November election," one person who was invited told National Journal, "and begin to take deliberate action toward a potential 2016 run."
"This is the come-to-Jesus before the planned launch," added another adviser.
Doug Wead, a presidential historian and adviser to Paul who attended Wednesday's meeting, told CBS News the gathering was "mind-blowing" in its organization.
"Have been a part of nine presidential campaigns in one way or another, this is the best organized, most intelligent I have seen yet," he said. "This crew has a sense of making history, of impacting the system, of ending corruption. They are young, attractive, smart, tech savvy, black, white, male, female. This event is supposed to be working on organizing the upcoming work, but this event itself is a model of efficiency."
The gathering of talent was perhaps the most obvious sign yet that Paul is on the cusp of announcing a presidential bid, but the Kentucky senator hasn't exactly made a secret of his ambition.
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Rand Paul, advisers meet to strategize on a 2016 presidential bid
Republican Rand Paul isnt ready to start his expected presidential campaign, but hes definitely running for re-election to the Senate, settling off a potential battle over Kentucky election law.
Mr. Pauls re-election plans were announced Wednesday after a daylong series of meetings with his political advisers in Washington, D.C.
Team Rand had a very successful day of meetings, which focused on fundraising performance, grassroots engagement, communications, outreach and other areas of interest, read a written statement from Mr. Pauls spokesman Sergio Gor. Although a decision on a presidential run wont occur until the spring, Sen. Paul made clear he will be running for re-election to the U.S. Senate.
Kentucky law prevents candidates from appearing twice on the same ballot. The Republican-led state Senate passed a bill that would have allowed Mr. Paul to run simultaneously for president and the Senate, but the Democratic-controlled House has not followed suit.
Greg Stumbo, the Democratic speaker of the House, said the state constitution bars lawmakers from passing special legislation that would benefit only one person. He added, Im not a fan of Sen. Paul, and Im not eager to see my country turned over to him.
Kentucky Republicans said there are a few ways Mr. Paul may be able to get around the state law. The state party could change its nominating contest from a primary to a caucus, so that the twice-on-one-ballot rule is not triggered. Or, Mr. Paul could decline to participate in the states presidential primary in May, which is unlikely to have a major impact on the nomination. Theres plenty of time for the situation to resolve itself legislatively, legally or politically, said Republican consultant Scott Jennings.
Todd Inman, a Republican activist in Owensboro, said he didnt expect any local backlash to Mr. Paul seeking both re-election and the presidency. Kentuckians would love to see a president from their state, and if Rand is willing to try, they will back him, Mr. Inman said.
Mr. Pauls decision sets up a potential contrast with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has indicated that he will not seek re-election if he runs for president. Florida law also prohibits candidates from running for two offices at the same time. I think thats the right law, Mr. Rubio said during an April 2 interview on the Hugh Hewitt radio show. As for running for president, he added, I think by and large, when you choose to do something as big as that, youve really got to be focused on that and not have an exit strategy.
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Rand Paul Re-Election Bid Highlights Hurdle in Kentucky Law
By Ashley Killough, CNN
November 13, 2014 -- Updated 0045 GMT (0845 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Washington (CNN) -- Sen. Rand Paul made clear to his team of political advisers Wednesday that he'll run for re-election to the Senate in 2016 and reiterated that he won't make a decision on a presidential run until next spring, according to a spokesman.
His strategists met behind closed doors at a Washington hotel Wednesday to sketch out a road map for 2015 and review the past two years, during which Paul traveled to 35 states campaigning for candidates and raising his national profile.
Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, attended most of the meetings as well as a group dinner in the evening, said spokesman Sergio Gor.
The sessions, led by RAND PAC executive director Doug Stafford, covered fundraising performance, grassroots engagement, communications, outreach and other areas of interest, though Gor did not give specifics.
Paul has long made it known that he plans to campaign for a second term in the Senate, but questions have emerged over whether he can run for his seat and for the White House at the same time. Kentucky law prohibits candidates from appearing on the same ballot for two different offices.
Attempts to change the law were made last year in the GOP-controlled state Senate but stalled in the Democratic-controlled state House. Attempts by Republicans to retake control of the state House in last week's elections were unsuccessful, meaning the law will likely stay in the books for 2016.
Some of Paul's supporters have argued the law could be challenged, while others say there are ways he can get around it so that his name won't appear on the ballot twice. One such scenario would mean the state party changes its presidential primary to a caucus system.
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Rand Paul maps 2016 plan
BATON ROUGE, La. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is still months away from an announcement on whether he will run for president in 2016, but there is no question he is laying the groundwork for a possible bid.
On Monday, Paul was playing political power broker in Louisiana. He was center stage at a rally where the losing Tea Party-aligned candidate Rob Maness buried the hatchet with establishment favorite GOP Rep. Bill Cassidy to present a unified front against Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in the Dec. 6 runoff here.
Im glad I could be here and do it, Paul told Fox News. I do want to be part of bringing [together] all facets of the party. The party doesnt need to be smaller. The party needs to be bigger.
Paul is the rare Republican who is able to straddle many factions of the party without alienating any one of them. He is a Tea Party favorite and speaks the language of libertarians. And while some establishment Republicans view him with either skepticism or outright disdain, the presumed new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has endorsed Pauls potential presidential bid.
Thats a potent formula for surviving the caucuses and primaries.
Paul also has a lot of chits in the bank after the midterm elections. He traveled to more than 30 states to campaign for Republicans. Putting to bed the bitter feud between Maness and Cassidy puts a powerful coda on his exhaustive work for the party particularly if Cassidy denies Landrieu a fourth term.
So far, the numbers look good for Cassidy. While he came second to Landrieu in the so-called jungle primary, the combined Republican vote theoretically gives him a 13-point advantage. Landrieu has been trying to pick off Maness supporters, but this new alliance makes the task much tougher for Landrieu.
Just like me, one of the centerpieces of [Maness] argument is that Senator Landrieu supports Barack Obama 97 percent of the time. He is taking our country in the wrong direction, Cassidy told Fox News.
While the math isnt in her favor, Landrieu is not about to go down without a fight. Her campaign just released a harsh new ad, selectively editing moments from a speech Cassidy gave to the Republican Leadership Conference in May to make him look incoherent and bumbling. Landrieu is also hammering Cassidy on his record of opposing Medicaid expansion and supporting raising the retirement age to 70.
Hes now going to have to run on his own record, Landrieu told Fox News. Hes run on everything else but his own record.
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Rand Paul plays GOP healer with eye on 2016 - KURTZ: Why the Dems have no bench for 2016